


in the face of pain there are no heroes (except you)

by haleofStilesheart



Series: Tumblr Prompts [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Getting Together, Hurt Derek, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Torture, Tortured Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:40:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleofStilesheart/pseuds/haleofStilesheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles and the pack finds Derek after a group of hunters capture and torture him and Derek learns he has a reason to live.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the face of pain there are no heroes (except you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StrictlyChaotic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrictlyChaotic/gifts).



> For the dialogue prompt: 67. "It's you, it's always been you."
> 
> [Send me a prompt!](http://hale-of-stiles-heart.tumblr.com/)

“It’s you, it’s always been you.”

“What? Derek, what are you talking about?” Stiles whispered frantically, sounding as panicked and desperate as he felt.

They had just found Derek after a group of hunters had rolled into town and somehow captured him in the preserve, stringing him up with barbed wire on an electrified fence in some dank, dark basement in the abandoned warehouse district of town.

He’d been there for over a week, deprived of food and water, routinely brutalized by the hunters in their attempt to extort information from him about the whereabouts of the rest of the pack.

Needless to say, Derek wasn't very cooperative or forthcoming.

When they’d arrived the hunters had been taking a break from ruthlessly torturing Derek with electrical shocks and blades being dragged over his skin, casually playing a game of poker as though they didn’t have someone tied up downstairs slowly bleeding out.

Chris Argent and Peter had very quickly incapacitated them in the most lethal of ways as Stiles and the betas rummaged around in search of Derek. In pure desperation, Stiles had searched the bodies of the dead hunters for some clue, finding a key in the pocket of one of them.

Boyd had directed them to the locked basement door, a perfect match for the key. They’d stormed into the basement where they found Derek bound to the fence, coils of barbed wire digging into the flesh of his wrists.

Stiles had been momentarily frozen in shock, helpless to do anything but stare in pure horror of Derek’s condition, before snapping back to his senses and rushing to Derek’s side, tugging at the barbed wire encircling his right wrist as Erica and Isaac freed his other arm.

Derek had been too weak to do anything, immediately falling flat on the concrete floor with dull thud. Stiles had dropped to his knees beside Derek, gently cupping his cheek and desperately calling his name, trying to pull him back to consciousness.

Derek had woken, rallying up enough energy to croak, “It’s you, it’s always been you.”

“Derek, c’mon. We gotta get you outta here. C’mon, big guy,” Stiles urged futilely, lightly tugging on Derek’s upper arm.

Derek didn’t budge.

“It’s always you,” Derek repeated, his voice gravelly from disuse.

“Derek, c’mon,” Stiles said more urgently, biting his lip to keep himself from yelling at Derek. “C’mon.”

“You’re always saving me,” Derek declared softly, blearily looking up at Stiles.

Stiles sniffled, no longer able to hold back his tears. Voice cracking intermittently, Stiles miserably cried, “No. I should’ve been there. I never should’ve let them hurt you. I wasn’t there to protect you. I wasn’t there to save you.”

He sobbed softly, leaning down to press his forehead against Derek’s shoulder, entire body. Desolately, he wept, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Derek. I should’ve been there.”

“No,” Derek murmured weakly. “Not safe.”

Stiles managed a watery laugh. He scoffed, “Not safe? Derek look around. You’re in a freaking torture dungeon for God’s sake!”

“Not safe,” Derek repeated more firmly. “Need you safe.”

“Need _me_ safe?” Stiles asked incredulously, lifting his head to look down at Derek’s face through his watery eyes. He ran his fingers through Derek’s hair, asking more gently, “What about you Derek?”

“Don’t care,” Derek muttered. “Don’t care―”

“Don’t say that!” Stiles demanded, raising his voice. “Don’t you dare fucking say that!”

He lowered his head again, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks as he hiccuped.

“What the hell would we do without you Derek?” Stiles inquired. He paused, then more quietly asked, “What would I do?”

“Stiles―”

“No. Let me finish,” Stiles ground out, hands balling themselves into fists. Sighing deeply to control himself, he continued, “Derek… I don’t know what we’d all do without you. What _I’d_ do without you. Jesus, I’d probably go out of my fucking mind.”

Derek somehow managed to wheeze out a tiny laugh. Stiles scratched his nails along Derek’s scalp comfortingly.

“And besides, who’d keep me safe if you were gone?” Stiles pointed out, offering Derek a small, tentative smile, his cheeks stained with tears. “Now we’re gonna get out of this fucking place, get you home, get you cleaned up, get some rest. And then you’re gonna keep keeping me safe and I’m gonna keep saving you because that’s what we do. Because I love you. And I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever. Okay?”

Derek blinked silently, struggling to push himself up, Boyd and Peter rushing over to help him stand. With Stiles and Peter supporting his weight, his arms thrown over their shoulders, Derek mustered up the strength to walk out of the basement.

After all, he had something to live for.


End file.
